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• marsh
  marsh

  noun

  a tract of low wet land, often treeless and periodically inundated, generally characterized by a growth of grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes.
• Marsh
  Marsh

  noun

  Dame (Edith) Ngaio 1899–1982, New Zealand writer of detective novels.

marsh

¹ American  

[mahrsh] / mɑrʃ /

noun

• marshes
  plural

1. a tract of low wet land, often treeless and periodically inundated, generally characterized by a growth of grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes.

   Synonyms:

   wetland, marshland, fen, bog, swamp

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Marsh ² American  

[mahrsh] / mɑrʃ /

noun

1. Dame (Edith) Ngaio 1899–1982, New Zealand writer of detective novels.

2. Reginald, 1898–1954, U.S. painter and illustrator.

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marsh ¹ British  

/ mɑːʃ /

noun

1. low poorly drained land that is sometimes flooded and often lies at the edge of lakes, streams, etc Compare swamp

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Marsh ² British  

/ mɑːʃ /

noun

1. Dame ( Edith ) Ngaio (ˈnaɪəʊ). 1899–1981, New Zealand crime writer, living in Britain (from 1928). Her many detective novels include Final Curtain (1947) and Last Ditch (1977)

2. Rodney ( William ). born 1947, Australian cricketer: a wicketkeeper, he took 355 dismissals in 96 test matches (1970–84)

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marsh Scientific  

/ märsh /

1. An area of low-lying wetland in which the level of water is generally shallow and often fluctuating. The water may be either standing or slow-moving. The water in a marsh is also more or less neutral or alkaline, in contrast to the water in a bog, which is acidic. The environment of a marsh is in general well-oxygenated and nutrient-rich and allows a great variety of organisms to flourish. In contrast to a swamp, in which there is an abundance of woody plants, the plants in a marsh are mostly herbaceous. Reeds and rushes dominate the vegetation of marshes.

2. See also salt marsh

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marshlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marshes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marsh

before 900; Middle English mershe, Old English mer ( i ) sc (cognate with German Marsch ). See mere ², -ish ¹; cf. marais, marish, morass

Explanation

A marsh is an area in transition from land to water. It is a very bad idea to go walking in a marsh in your best shoes; try some fishing boots, or perhaps a boat. The word marsh comes from the old Dutch word mere, for sea, and it means land that is sea-ish… not sea, but sea-ish, like most of Holland. Marshes can be found often where a river empties into the sea, or along the side of a low, flooded river. Another word for marsh is swamp. If you’re in trouble or just want to be alone, a marsh is a great place to hide: no one will follow you. Just don’t forget your galoshes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marsh Marsh marshes

The dinosaur ended up in a salty marsh, where conditions slowed decomposition and helped preserve the fragile network of blood vessels.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

An area of wet woodland and marsh has been acquired alongside pastureland south of the River Sow.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Last week she visited her parents and went to the marsh to look for the bird.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The number and variety of plants increased over time, including locally rare species such as southern marsh orchid, greater tussock-sedge, yellow rattle and common centaury.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

I focused that same way I did when I escaped the haint in the marsh.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Marsh Re wrote ahead of Isaias’s landfall that based on similar historical events, the expected insurance loss might be in the mid-single-digit billions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Marsh Fuels, which supplies heating oil in Berkshire and Hampshire, said its sales were lower than expected as colder weather approaches.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Footprint tunnels have also been installed at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset and at Pierrepont Farm and Green Farm in Surrey.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

A Marsh survey of more than 1,000 U.S. employers found the average planned merit increase for 2027 is 3.2%, the lion’s share of a total raise budget of 3.5%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

For a decade or so, Marsh and Cope’s mutual dislike primarily took the form of quiet sniping, but in 1877 it erupted into grandiose dimensions.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

This giant salamander lived in the broad freshwater lakes and marshes that covered parts of Kyushu several million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

Today, they’re mostly found roaming marshes of the Central Valley, particularly around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

Dick Dale is a New York landscape painter who boards at the Owen family farm in the salt marshes of northeastern Massachusetts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Along the way, it passes through some of the country's most beautiful and varied landscapes, from salt marshes and sandy beaches to cliffs, dunes and historic coastal towns.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

Most of the long and skinny island was wild land: rolling green hills and forests and marshes with just a few orchards and farms.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis